August 31st, 2008
And her name was Esther Marie Havens
and yes.. this is my parents way back when.
Barry and Barbara Havens 1978. This photo is when they moved to Wisconsin and settled on a farm. Dad milked 30 cows a day for a living back then.
Many of you that know me would know I would never ask for a present from anyone… but this year is different. I am asking a present from each of you to help build a water wells in Africa.
These past 2 years have been a whirlwind of crazy busyness for me in traveling to countries to and fro without a chance to catch my breathe and even process what I was seeing. My heart has broken for the people and cultures that i’ve visited. But it didn’t break the way I thought it would. A part of me still wanted to be at a distance from the poverty because I didn’t like it. I felt I had to be at a distance to cover the story and not be emotionally tied. I remember coming back from Africa for the first time and say ” I never want to go back again”. Things have changed drastically now as I can’t wait to be back on that continent soon. Rather than pity people in living in extreme poverty I have learned compassion. I tried to imagine myself in the shoes of each person I photographed, asking God to give me His eyes to see them rather than my own. Things began to change more and more when I photographed. What would it be like to be born to a family that had no money and was trying to survive? If you had to walk miles and miles a day to get dirty water from a murky pond. If your brothers and sisters were dieing of malaria because you didn’t have money for medicine that cost less than $1. You see, they didn’t choose that life. They were born into it. Just as you and I were born into our families. Some of us have a lot and some of us have little. It doesn’t make us who we are though. Who we are is our identity, our character and the core of our being. Who we ARE is not our Circumstance. I have told myself this many times but it has never really hit me till recently. No matter who we are in America, we have a lot. Even the poorest person here doesn’t compare to what I have seen. If we all sacrificed a little more change would happen.. if we all gave a little .. what could happen ?
Why give you ask ? Well, why do we buy birthday presents in the first place ?
I want to hear your response on that one. I know why I buy birthday gifts.. but what if one birthday gift can change a life of a child. What if a birthday gift can give clean water to a little kid forever and you know that the money given will actually go directly to dig a water well and no where else ?
This year I’m asking you to buy me a present and know that it’s going to affect a life.. a life that exists on the otherside of the globe and needs some help to survive in this world.
This is the year for Change.
This is the year that we ALL to take action and DO something.
This generation is feeling the urgency. More than ever before young people are going out into the world and using their brains and talents to serve the poor, love the brokenhearted and putting a stop to violence they know isn’t right.
We are all people and sometimes we just need a little help to get on our feet.
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